Life

Marcus Cook: ''Use My Finish as Your Start''

On the heels of an incredible weight loss journey, this IRONMAN athlete has dedicated himself to helping others fulfill their dreams.

Last May, Marcus Cook was down 250 pounds from the 500 pounds he weighed just two years earlier. Cook started his journey by walking 20 minutes a day, and eventually moved up to a sprint triathlon. He then completed IRONMAN Texas in April with his sights on the 2018 IRONMAN World Championship, all with the goal of raising money for the IRONMAN Foundation.

In May, Houston's Dr. Franklin Rose performed an abdominoplasty on Cook, removing 13 to 15 pounds of excess skin. It took two months to recover from the surgery, but Cook has seen his run times improve by two to three minutes per mile and can find a more efficient aero position on the bike.

During his recovery time, Cook turned from triathlete and motivational speaker to a rescuer as Hurricane Harvey and subsequent flooding hit the area he calls home in August. He calls it "being rescued to being a rescuer." Together with his son and friends, Cook rescued approximately 100 people over the course of a night. His ongoing relationship with IRONMAN through raising money for the Foundation allowed him to gather a team from Louisiana to help feed 1,000 people during the rescue effort. "I never knew that getting healthy could affect people I didn’t even know," he said. "I got my health back and helped change people during a natural disaster."

The 45-year-old oil and gas executive continues to find ways that to use his story to impact those he knows and those he hasn't met yet. In pursuit of this, he has increased his original fundraising goal for the IRONMAN Foundation from $40,000 to $100,000 this year. "I believe that people want to be a part of doing the impossible," he said. "So when I raised over 40k the first year, I decided that I could do more. I started getting requests for speaking at corporate events and decided that all my fees would be donated to the IRONMAN Foundation."

Cook has also created a concept he calls Will2. Based on the dictionary definition of will—"the faculty by which a person decides on and initiates action"—he has created a group of people to come together to help each other reach goals. "Will2 racing represents athletes with the drive to overcome their darkest hour and take down the enemy that tries to overtake them," he explains. The group's symbol is an octopus, which represents that will that can rise up from the depths of the unknown and take what it wants.

"Will2 is a concept," he said. "A community of people on a journey to help, to bring along, to become someone that you are currently not and want to be. A private Facebook group, a link to Strava workouts, and even a team kit will all be a part of his concept. "The group is for inspiration to do your impossible," he adds. "If you know the answer that can help someone have the Will2 answer. If you got a good recipe have the Will2 share. If you got a revelation on how you are changing, have the Will2 inspire." The only thing that Cook requires for the team is the desire to help someone else in their journey—whether that’s qualifying for Boston or finishing their first sprint.

Despite a heavy workload, Cook has been been able to keep his weight between 225 and 230 pounds for the last seven months. While ramping up his IRONMAN training, he will do four IRONMAN races and two IRONMAN races before heading to Kona. "The cool thing about this year is that at every race, me and my coaching team will be helping an athlete who has struggled with weight cross the finish line," he said. At IRONMAN 70.3 Texas, Cook will be supporting Mier Mandel, chasing the goal of finishing his first half. At IRONMAN Texas he'll be helping Paul Ernewein, who unofficially finished 2016's stormy race but this year has the goal to become an official IRONMAN. At IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder he will be helping another former 500-pound plus pound athlete who has lost 300 pounds.

Cook is still looking for someone to help through IRONMAN Chattanooga, and himself is undecided as to his fourth IRONMAN 70.3 of the season. After that, he will search for an athlete to help get to the finish line. "My advice," he says in his latest video, "is to use my finish line as your starting line. I am trying to give people hope that it isn't over until you decide."